Jii'Ji 


THE  Iff 
Of  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOIS 


UNIVERSITY    OF    ILLINOIS 


PROFESSOR  ARTHUR  W.  PALMER 


MEMORIAL    CONVOCATION 


THE  LIRRARY  OF  THE 

APR  6 -1937 

*     i^'^'VERS/Ty  OF  ILLINOIS 


HELD    IN 


THE    CHAPEL 


FEBRUARY  7 
1904 


ARTHUR    WILLIAM    PALMER 

1861-1904 

Borii,  London^  England^  February  //,  1861. 

B.  6*.,  University  of  Illinois,  i8Sj. 

Sc.D.,  Harvard  University,  iSSd. 

Student  in  Berlin  and  Goettingen,  j8SS-iS8g. 

Assistant  Professor  of  Chemistry,  University  of  Illinois,  i8Sg-i8go. 

Professor  of  Chemistry,  iSgo-igo^.. 


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coo  .-? 


s>^z 


ORDER  OF  SERVICE 

Lead,  Kindly  Light Choir 

Scriptures,  Psalm  xxii.,  vers.  1-14;  John  xiv.;  Revelation 

xxii.,  1-5       .        .        .        .        .         .        .      Dean  Burrill 

Address Dean  Clark 

Address Professor  Parr 

Address Professor  Breckenridge 

Crossing  the  Bar Professor  Breneman 

Address Dean  Davenport 

Address Dean  Forbes 

Address President  Draper 

The  Homeland Choir 

Prayer .        .       Dean  Burrill 


ARTHUR  WILLIAM  PALMER,  1861-1904. 


Address  by  Dean  T.  A.  Clark. 


It  is  very  fitting  that  we  should  hold  this  service  today  in 
memory  of  Professor  Palmer,  for  all  our  minds  are  turned  to 
what  his  life  and  his  work  have  meant  to  this  University.  It 
is  not  unfitting  that  we  should  hold  it  in  this  room;  for  it  was 
here  that  as  a  young  student  he  used  daily  to  come,  it  was  here 
that  he  received  his  first  ideas  of  University  life,  and  it  was  upon 
this  platform  as  a  young  instructor  that  some  of  us  first  came 
to  know  him. 

It  was  always  an  inspiration  to  me  as  a  student,  as  I  am 
sure  it  has  been  to  many  others, — it  was  no  less  an  inspiration 
when  I  came  to  be  a  teacher, — to  remember  that  he  was  a  son 
of  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  that  much  of  the  training  he 
had,  he  received  here.  It  is  a  source  of  pride  to  all  of  us  today, 
to  know  that  his  few  years  of  work — work  that  has  been 
recognized  everywhere  in  this  country — were  given  to  further 
the  growth  and  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  institution  that 
gave  him  his  undergraduate  training. 

We  may  well  consider  for  a  few  moments  some  of  the 
characteristics  which  have  tended  to  make  him  an  unusual  man 
among  the  men  with  whom  he  was  associated  here.  First  of 
all  he  was  a  scholar.  Whatever  scientific  work  he  undertook  he 
went  to  the  bottom  of.  Those  who  knew  him  well  knew  how 
wide  was  his  knowledge,  how  reliable  his  judgment,  how  thor- 
oughly credible  all  the  statements  that  he  made.  I  have  heard 
it  said  by  those  who  are  better  able  to  judge  than  I,  that  no 
one  ever  went  to  him  for  information  on  any  subject  connected 
with  the  subject  of  chemistry  without  receiving  the  informa- 
tion that  he  desired.     He  was  a  master  of  the  subject  he  taught, 


6 

He  was  more  than  a  scholar,  however;  he  was  a  man  who 
could  do  things.  Not  every  man  who  has  theory  at  his  tongue's 
end  is  able  to  put  that  theory  into  practice,  but  everyone  who 
was  associated  with  Professor  Palmer  knows  that  what  was 
given  him  to  do  was  done  rapidly  and  done  well.  No  one  ever 
found  him  off  his  guard ;  he  was  always  active,  alert,  able  at 
any  time  to  summon  all  his  powers  and  to  direct  them  toward 
the  accomplishment  of  whatever  purpose  he  might  have  in 
mind.  He  was  a  man  to  be  trusted,  to  be  given  responsibility, 
to  be  relied  upon  to  accomplish  whatever  task  was  given  into 
his  hands. 

He  was  an  eminently  successful  instructor.  Only  this  morn- 
ing I  was  talking  with  a  man  whose  special  interest  is  in  no 
way  scientific,  and  yet  he  spoke  with  feeling  of  the  work  he 
had  taken  under  Professor  Palmer's  instruction,— of  the  clear- 
ness of  his  presentation,  of  the  interest  he  aroused  in  his  sub- 
ject, of  the  love  for  his  science  which  was  all  the  time  evident 
to  those  who  listened  to  him.  He  was  a  man  to  mould  men  and 
to  leave  his  imprint  upon  them  as  few  teachers  are  able  to  do 

He  was,  perhaps,  a  severe  teacher,  who  made  his  students 
understand  how  little  they  really  knew  and  how  wide  the  range  of 
knowledge  really  is.  He  set  himself  a  high  standard  in  thor- 
oughness and  exactness,  and  he  tried  to  hold  his  students  up 
to  that  standard.  He  was  not  unsympathetic,  however.  I  have 
been  more  and  more  impressed  during  the  last  two  or  three 
years  as  I  have  come  to  know  him  better  and  have  had  occa- 
sion frequently  to  talk  to  him  about  students  who  were  not 
strong  in  their  work,  how  reasonable  and  fair  he  was  in  his  judg- 
ment. He  was  unusually  sympathetic  and  charitable  when 
discussing  men  who  had  failed,  and  no  one  was  more  helpful 
and  suggestive  in  giving  advice  to  those  who  came  to  him  in 
trouble.  The  man  who  would  not  work  he  had  no  patience 
with,  but  any  other  man  could  easily  find  in  him  a  friend. 

I  think  the  characteristic  that  impressed  me  most,  and 
which  helped  most  to  make  him  the  man  that  he  was,  was  his 
singleness  of  purpose.  He  was  in  no  sense  a  narrow  man;  for 
his  training  had  been  broad,  and  his  interests  were  numerous 


Few  men  could  talk  more  intelligently  on  general  topics  than 
he,  and  few  had  a  wider  range  of  information.  But  these 
things  were  to  him  only  incidental.  His  one  idea  was  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  his  science  and  his  department,  and  this 
idea  he  never  forgot.  It  was  upon  his  mind  during  the  day  and 
too  often  perhaps  far  into  the  night;  it  was  the  thing  for  which 
he  planned  and  worked  and  gave  his  chief'energies.  It  was  this 
oneness  of  purpose  coupled  with  his  strong  intellect  that 
brought  success  to  him  when  he  was  still  a  young  man  and  has 
made  his  department  one  of  the  best  in  this  country. 

I  cannot  end  the  few  words  I  am  to  speak  without  at  least 
referring  to  my  estimate  of  him  as  a  personal  friend.  Sincere, 
loyal,  true,  he  bound  us  all  to  him  with  cords  that  will  not  soon 
be  loosed. 

The  years  that  were  given  him  to  finish  his  work  were  not 
many.  He  has  gone  from  us  at  an  age  when  most  men  feel 
that  their  best  years  are  yet  before  them.  And  yet  how  much 
he  has  accomplished  in  inspiring  his  fellow-workers  in  the  fur- 
thering of  chemical  science,  and  in  the  development  of  scien- 
tific education!  When  the  history  of  this  University  is  written, 
among  the  names  of  her  sons  who  have  done  most  for  her  de- 
velopment and  her  honor  will  be  the  name  of  Arthur  William 
Palmer. 


Address  by  Professor  Parr. 


Arthur  Palmer  entered  the  University  as  a  chemical  stu- 
dent in  the  fall  of  1879. 

He  brought  to  his  chosen  work  a  very  considerable  amount 
of  manipulative  skill,  acquired  in  practical  work  at  the  watch 
factory  of  his  home  city,  in  the  electro-plating  and  gilding  de- 
partment. This  was  further  augmented  along  more  general 
chemical  lines  by  experiments  conducted  at  home  on  the  fam- 
ily range. 

He  certainly  brought  with  him  all  his  avidity  for  chemical 
work.     During  his  first  year,  besides  disposing  of  a  number  of 


8 

preparatory  conditions,  he  obtained  five  term-credits  in  chem- 
istry, the  three  hi^rhest  grades  for  which  were  100,  and  for  the 
other  two  98.  Tt  is  not  strange  therefore  that  at  thel)eginning  of 
his  sopliomore  year  he  was  permitted  to  assist  in  the  hiljoratory 
supervision  of  the  beginning  course  in  chemistry,  and  in  his 
senior  year  he  was  given  the  reguhir  appointment  of  second  as- 
sistant in  chemistry. 

For  one  year  following  his  graduation  in  1883  he  served  as 
first  assistant,  ])ut  a  more  appropriate  title  would  have  been 
that  of  chief  operating  engineer  of  the  department.      Entering 
Harvard  in  1884,  he  was  granted  a  fellowship  which  was  con- 
tinued for  two  years,  thus  enabling  him  to  complete  his  work, 
and  obtain  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Science.     After  two  more 
years  at  Illinois  without  any  advance    in  appointment  over 
that    which   he     had  received    at    graduation,     he    left    for 
study   abroad.     His    first   semester   was    spent   in   Gottingen, 
where,   because  of  the   crowded  condition   of   the   laboratory 
and  because  also  of  his  strong  endorsements  from    Harvard, 
he  was  given  a  place  in  the  private  laboratory  of  Victor  Meyer, 
whose    standing    in    the    chemical    world    was   second    only 
to  that  of  the  professor   under  whom  he  spent  his  second  se- 
mester, the  great  Hoffman,  at  that  time  dean  of  the  chemical 
world  and  director  of  the  laboratory  at  Berlin.     Here  he  began 
his  work  on  the  arsines,  which  culminated  three  years  after  his 
return  to  Illinois  in  establishing  the  existenceof  that  series,  un- 
til then   described  in  the  books  as  not  existing, — certainly  a 
notable  piece  of  work. 

But  time  does  not  permit  of  a  detailed  account  of  his  ac- 
plishments  in  these  lines.  I  prefer  to  turn  for  a  moment  to  his 
student  and  post-graduate  days. 

He  must  certainly  stand  out  with  marked  distinction  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  worked  with  him  in  those  years.  A  radical 
change  had  just  been  made  throughout  the  teaching  force  of 
the  department,  and  the  new  order  of  things  required  a  little 
time  for  smooth  adjustment.  How  much  we  depended  on  Dr. 
Palmer  for  help,  and  how  able  he  was  to  meet  the  denumd  ! 


9 

I  recall  hearing  a  student  say,  and  his  statement  was  not 
overdrawn,  "If  you  have  any  question  about  any  difficulty  in 
any  part  of  any  process  in  any  course  in  this  building,  between 
cellar  and  attic,  ask  Palmer  and  he  will  know  at  once  just  what 
you  are  talking  about  and  just  what  is  the  matter."     I  wish  to 
couple  with  this  another  statement  which  at  hrst  glance  may 
seem  to  be  contradictory,  but  which  in  truth  throws  a  side  light 
upon  professional  habits  which  make  the  first  statement  credi- 
ble.    It  was    made  by  a  student  of  recent  years,  and  he  said, 
"If  in  the  intricate   and   involved  discussions  that  sometimes 
arise,  it  ever  happens  that  a  point  is  brought  up  about  which 
Dr.  Palmer  is  uncertain,  he  will  say  he  doesn't  know;  but  I  note 
that  after  24  hours,  if  the  topic  arises  again,  he  will  be  able  to 
carry  you  to  the  utmost  detail  of  possible  information  upon  the 
point  in  question." 

In  his  chemical  tasks  as  a  student  he  was  continually  over- 
running the  prescribed  work  and  indulging  as  a  pastime  for  fill- 
ing in  the  remaining  hours,  the  preparation  of  rare  and  difficult 
salts.  Many  of  these,  as  cabinet  specimens,  I  regret  to  say, 
have  disappeared  in  the  laboratory  fire.  It  was  this  habit,  no 
doubt,  coupled  with  the  ever  present  desire  to  conquer  new 
fields,  that  led  him,  in  his  senior  year  into  his  first  real  work  in 
organic  chemistry.  The  evidences  and  relics  of  that  work 
could  be  seen  for  a  long  time  in  the  basement  of  the  old  build- 
ing, in  the  shape  of  beakers  and  stills  with  asphaltum  residues 
and  tarry  coatings  from  materials  obtained  at  the  city  gas 
works,  impossible  to  clean  up,  yet  too  interesting  to  throw 
away. 

It  may  be  in  place  to  note  how  advanced  at  this  time  were 
his  ideals  as  to  methods  of  teaching  chemistry.  It  is  difficult 
now  to  realize  what  was  the  procedure  then  and  how  great  the 
change  has  been  ,■ — due  almost,  if  not  entirely,  to  his  efforts. 
First,  the  recitation  work  in  all  chemical  courses  did  not 
extend  beyond  one-half  of .  the  first  year.  Three  and  a  half 
years  were  therefore  devoted  to  laboratory  work  exclusively, 
without  lecture  or  quiz  accompaniment.     The  reverse  of  this  is 


10 

now  true.  Second,  beginners  in  chemistry  had  text-book  work 
only.  There  was  no  experimental  development  of  the  science.  At 
the  student's  first  introduction  to  the  laboratory  work  he  was 
given  a  desk, an  analytical  table,  and  an  unknown  substance,  and 
was  told  to  work  out  his  own  salvation.  At  the  end  he  knew  a  few 
facts  but,  if  possible,  less  of  the  science  than  at  the  ])eginning. 
The  chemical  students  can  better  understand  what  a  change 
has  been  brought  about  in  this  regard,  a  change  to  be  credit- 
ed to  Dr.  Palmer. 

In  these  two  marked  departures  in  instructional  methods, 
there  is  illustrated  the  dominant  characteristic  of  all  his  work, 
that  of  thoroughness. 

As  a  student  he  was  far  from  being  a  recluse.  He  was  ac- 
tive in  all  student  affairs.  He  entered  heartily  into  the  work 
of  his  literary  society  and  was  for  two  years  a  member  of  the 
Philomathean  sextette,  a  musical  organization  of  no  mean  rep- 
utation. He  engaged  in  all  forms  of  athletic  sport,  and  there 
were  but  few  of  his  associates  who  enjoyed  the  distinction  of 
being  able  to  walk  with  him  without  breaking  the  regulations 
as  to  a  genuine  "heel  and  toe"  gait.  The  strenuous  character 
of  his  mental  make-up  found  its  greatest  delight  in  the  game 
of  chess. 

Student  activities  and  proclivities  of  his  day  were  not  with- 
out their  serious  lapses  of  conduct.  Indeed  there  are  some 
chapters  that  we  might  wish  to  see  blotted  out  beyond  all  pos- 
sibility of  decipherment.  But  I  can  freely  say  that  I  never 
knew  a  student  whose  discernment  between  right  and  wrong 
w^as  keener,  whose  scorn  of  a  mean  act  was  more  profound,  or 
whose  conduct  at  all  times  conformed  more  finely  to  the  old 
motto,  "Preserve  thine  integrity  of  character,  and  in  doing  it 
never  reckon  the  cost." 

My  acquaintance  with  Arthur  Palmer  exceeds  by  but  a  few 
days  the  22-year  mark.  It  has  been  22  years  of  unbroken 
friendship. 

It  is  a  poor  tribute  at  best  that  mere  words  can  pay,  but  in 
the  name  of  student  associates  of  other  daj's,  and  of  student 
followers  of  the  years  between,  I  offer  here  our  tender  appre- 


11 


elation  of  the  constancy  of  his  friendship,  the  example  of  his 
manliness,  and  the  inspiration  of  his  enthusiasm.  How  strong- 
ly hast  thon  entered  into  the  current  of  our  lives  !  How  sadly 
shall  we  miss  the  impulse  of  thy  brave  heart ! — Farewell. 


Address  by  Professor  L.  P.  Breckenridge. 


It  is  a  privilege  to  be  permitted  to  say  a  few  words  on  this 
occasion  and  to  acknowledge  the  admiration  with  which  I  have 
always  held  my  friend. 

The  relation  we  hold  to  any  individual,  the  position  from 
which  we  view  any  object  of  interest,  so  modifies  our  final  opin- 
ion and  conclusions  that  it  is  fortunate  when  we  may  have  the 
advantage  of  several  points  of  view.     So  it  will  be  today. 

In  the  affairs  of  the  University  my  knowledge  of  the  work 
of  Dr.  Palmer  has  not  been  that  obtained  from  intimate  and 
close  contact,  neither  is  my  knowledge  of  the  fundamental  sci- 
ence of  which  he  was  the  efficient  leader  at  Illinois,  sufficiently 
extensive  to  enable  me  to  judge  his  work.  I  have  had  the  pos- 
itive advantage  of  that  point  of  view  which  is  located  at  the 
focus  of  University  opinion  and  sentiment,  and  to  which  come 
the  composite  conclusions  of  both  students  and  teachers.  From 
no  other  place  can  more  correct  judgment  be  formed  concern- 
ing the  value  of  the  work  of  the  individual  teacher ;  here  the 
prejudice  of  friendship  or  of  spite  is  completely  obliterated  by 
an  accumulating  wave  of  solid,  persistent,  and  reliable  college 
opinion. 

Dr.  Palmer  was  an  eminent  scientist  as  well  as  an  able  lec- 
turer and  teacher.  His  ability  was  recognized  by  all  connected 
with  the  University.  Many  have  been  the  words  of  commenda- 
tion that  have  come  to  me  from  our  engineering  students  con- 
cerning the  lectures  in  elementary  chemistry.  They  have  said, 
"We  understand  what  he  is  talking  about"— "We  hear  what 
he  says" — "Professor  Palmer  does  not  waste  words" — "We  feel 
that  we  are  learning  something."  Homely  expressions  some 
of  them,  but  they  mean  much  in  the  life  of  the  student,  and  no 


12 

words  that  I  could  frame  would  convey  so  much  meaning  to 
you  as  students,  or  be  cherished  more  by  us  as  teachers,  could 
they  be  said  of  us. 

With  what  enthusiasm  has  his  work  been  done!  With 
what  arduous  zeal  has  he  pushed  forward  his  plans!  As  a 
student  at  Illinois,  then  at  Harvard  University,  and  then  abroad, 
he  always  attracted  the  attention  of  his  instructors,  and  he  ac- 
complished early  in  life  more  than  many  with  equal  opportuni- 
ties are  able  to  accomplish  in  a  lifetime. 

Here  atHlinoishas  fortunately  l)een  completed  a  perpetu- 
al memorial  to  him  who  has  gone.  We  are  glad  that  he  lived 
to  see  his  cherished  plans  in  brick  and  mortar  finished.  I  shall 
always  remember  the  beaming  and  delighted  expression  of  his 
face  when  the  money  for  the  Chemical  Laboratory  was  really 
appropriated.  "It  hardly  seems  possible  that  it  is  true,"  he  said. 
And  then  how  he  worked  building  his  laboratory,  watching 
every  detail  by  day,  and  while  the  laborers  slept  he  planned  and 
thought  by  night. 

The  Inilliant  light  from  his  study  window  at  his  home  was 
always  streaming  forth  at  night.  I  could  easily  see  it  from  my 
bed-room  window,  and  many  times  it  was  the  last  thing  I  saw 
shining  through  the  darkness  as  I  pulled  down  my  curtains  for 
the  night.  Now  that  light  has  gone  out.  Many  of  us  will  long 
remember  it,  and  many  of  us  realize,  perhaps  more  now  than 
ever,  what  it  meant.  Quiet  thought  must  precede  intelligent 
action,  and  so  it  seems  sure  that  near  that  light  originated  and 
developed  what  we  recognize  today  as  the  important  products 
of  his  busy  brain. 

What  we  may  say  here  today  will  soon  be  forgotten,  but 
many  thing  that  he  did  will  endure  for  years  to  come.  He 
taught  the  science  of  chemistry  to  many  students.  It  seems 
to  me  that  this  was  his  greatest  work.  He  contributed  to  the 
fund  of  knowledge  in  the  realm  of  chemical  science.  He  serv- 
ed the  people  of  Illinois  by  the  application  of  his  science  to  the 
needs,  comforts,  the  very  life  of  her  citizens.  He  built  the 
Chemical  Laboratory.     These  were  his  ])ublic  services. 

Dr.  Palmer  carried  the  same  enthusiasm  into  his  play  that 


13 

he  did  into  his  work.  It  was  among  his  friends  that  he  was  at 
his  best,— quick  of  thought,  brilliant  in  speech,  sympathetic  in 
feeling. 

He  was  not  always  understood,  nor  was  he  easily  won;  but 
once  his  friendship  was  yours,  the  more  it  was  prized  and  the 
stronger  it  became. 

After  all,  how  much  that  we  think  and  feel  must  we  leave 
unspoken;  the  sympathy  for  the  family,  the  sister,  the  friends; 
what  words  mean  enough  ?  To  him  who  has  gone  we  gladly  and 
honestly  acknowledge  our  respect,  our  admiration,  our  love- 
And  now  after  a  few  sad  days  gone  by  since  the  news  of  his 
death  came  to  me  over  the  wire,  days  of  thoughtful,  keenly- 
felt  sorrow,  I  still  feel  as  I  said:  He  was  a  scientist  of  marked 
ability,  a  man  of  unusual  enthusiasm,  a  delightful  companion, 
and  a  true  friend. 


Address  by  Dean  Eugene  Davenport. 


For  a  little  more  than  nine  years  I  have  been  associated 
with  Professsor  Palmer  in  this  University,  and  yet  I  cannot  say 
that  I  knew  him  well.  It  is  one  of  the  misfortunes  of  universi- 
ty life  that  we  come  close  enough  to  many  a  man  to  know  and 
feel  that  a  great  soul  is  there,  and  yet  from  the  very  exigencies 
of  duty  little  or  no  opportunity  is  given  to  come  into  its  full 
beneficence.  In  other  words  we  are  surrounded  by  more  person- 
alities than  we  can  utilize,  and  we  lose  much  of  personal  privi- 
lege that  might  be  enjoyed  were  the  world  less  busy  and  were 
our  lines  less  definitely  cast. 

It  was  so  in  this  case.  Though  working  in  buildings  but  a 
few  feet  apart,  we  seldom  met  except  in  faculty  meeting  or  up- 
on appointment  in  matters  of  routine.  I  knew  Professor  Pal- 
mer best,  therefore,  in  his  business  relations,  but  one  could  not 
meet  him  even  here  and  infrequently  without  feeling  the  touch 
of  a  strong  personality  that  one  would  be  glad  to  know   better. 

Professor  Palmer  was  a  born  chemist,  and  I  should  say  that 
all  his  ambitions  lay  in  the  line  of  pure  science.    And  yet  he 


14 

was  neither  blind  nor  unfeeling  to  the  applications  of  science, 
even  in  lines  that  did  not  personally  appeal  to  him.  He  was 
always  fair,  open,  and  generous  in  his  relations  with  other  in- 
terests. With  students  he  was  exact  and  exacting;  yet  he 
was  full  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness,  and  no  student  so  far 
as  I  ever  knew  could  complain  of  Professor  Palmer's  final  treat- 
ment; if  a  student  failed,  it  was  because  he  deserved  to  fail.  He 
never  spared  himself.  Head  of  a  busy  department  and  l)eset 
by  a  multitude  of  exacting  duties  and  harrowing  details,  he 
thought  of  himself,  if  at  all,  after  the  demands  of  duty  were 
fully  met.  Always  ambitious  for  the  progress  of  his  department, 
especially  along  the  lines  of  pure  chemistry,  he  yet  met  all  the 
duties  of  the  department  with  hdelity  and  with  patience. 

There  is  a  peculiarly  pathetic  side  to  this  case,  and  it  is  only 
just  to  him  that  we  note  it  in  his  passing,  even  if  we  somewhat 
overlooked  it  in  his  life.  A  decade  ago  the  department  enjoy- 
ed an  enviable  reputation.  Its  fame  was  not  limited  to  the 
natural  constituency  of  this  University,  but  it  was  widely  and 
favorably  known  among  universities  everywhere,  and  it  did  not 
seem  too  much  to  look  forward  to  the  time  when  it  should  oc- 
cupy front  rank  among  the  leading  departments  of  chemistry 
in  this  country. 

Then  came  the  burning  of  the  chemical  ])uilding.  Because 
of  scarcity  of  funds,  and  l)ecause  a  new  and  more  commodious 
structure  was  to  be  asked  for,  the  laboratories  were  never  com- 
pletely restored.  The  ruin  was  roofed  over,  and  the  work  rein- 
stalled, but  in  a  temporary  and  exceedingly  inadequate  man- 
ner. The  building  needed  was  not  provided,  and  for  four  years 
this  department  marked  time  and  struggled  for  existence. 

This  condition  of  things  was  at  the  threshold  of  the  great- 
est period  of  general  growth  ever  experienced  by  the  Univer- 
sity. Students  rapidly  increased  in  numbers  in  all  the  colleges, 
and  the  old  laboratories  already  overcrowded  were  flooded  be- 
yond their  capacity  with  students  seeking  elementary  instruc- 
tion. Here  for  more  than  four  years  the  resources  of  the  de- 
partment were  taxed  to  the  utmost  to  meet  the  increasing  de- 
mands on  the  part  of  the  University  for  elementary  chemistry. 


15 

General  prosperity  was  a  fact,  but  it  brought  about  conditions 
doubly  hard  upon  this  department  laboring  to  sustain  its  repu- 
tation among  more  fortunate  neighbors  in  other  institutions. 

Then  came  the  final  struggle  when  the  building  was  won; 
though  the  amount  granted  was  insufficient,  and  those  who  knew 
Professor  Palmer  in  those  dark  days  when  the  chemical  build- 
ing for  the  third  time  hung  in  the  balance — those  only  knew 
what  the  issue  meant  to  him.  Yet  he  never  neglected  his  duty 
to  the  department  or  to  students  dependent  upon  it.  These  are 
conditions  that  try  the  souls  of  men;  and  though  I  never  passed 
a  word  with  him  upon  the  subject,  I  knew  what  Professor  Palmer 
lived  through  for  some  five  years,  and  I  honor  his  memory  for 
his  fortitude  and  his  courage  under  circumstances  more  trying 
than  most  men  are  called  upon  to  endure. 

He  lived  to  see  the  building  erected.  For  this  we  are  glad. 
I  wish  he  might  have  lived  to  see  it  completely  equipped.  I 
wish  his  dream  might  have  been  fully  realized  on  this  campus 
and  in  his  lifetime.  According  to  his  allotted  time  he 
should  have  had  a  good  quarter  of  a  century  yet  in  which  to 
bring  about  his  ideals.  It  is  said  of  some  men  that  their  glory 
is  brighter  and  their  fame  more  lasting  for  a  sudden  and  tragic 
taking  off.  This  cannot  be  true  of  Professor  Palmer.  He  would 
have  won  more  laurels  for  himself  and  more  credit  for  the  Uni- 
versity he  loved  so  well.  It  is  good  for  most  men  to  die  in  the 
harness.  He  was  of  the  kind  to  go  that  way,  and  yet  we  can- 
not but  wish  that  he  might  have  worn  the  harness  longer.  By 
all  human  standards  he  had  earned  the  right  to  do  so;  and  had 
he  been  spared,  he  would  have  added  yet  new  honors  to  the 
name  to  which  we  now  pay  our  last  tribute  of  respect  and  love. 


Address  by  Dean  S.  A.  Forbes. 


After  the  various  appreciations  of  Dr.  Palmer — unusually  full 
and  fair,  as  it  seems  to  me — which  have  been  given  by  those 
who  have  preceded  me,  I  may  speak  perhaps  of  a  few  less  obvi- 
ous, less  conspicuous  matters,  which  I  think  are  not  less  signifi- 


16 

cant  as  clues  to  his  character  and  helps  to  an  understanding  of 
his  life.  And  first,  in  this  connection,  I  think  of  the  breadth 
and  liberality  of  his  intellectual  sympathies  and  interests.  We 
have  heard  of  him  here  today  as  a  chemical  specialist,  im- 
mersed in  the  work  of  his  department,  closely  concentrated  on 
his  special  subjects;  but  there  was  another  side  to  him  not 
nearly  so  evident  or  so  well  known.  He  was  a  chemist,  indeed, 
from  the  ground  up,  one  might  almost  say  from  the  heart  out, 
but  when  he  was  free  from  the  harness  of  technical  and  ))usi- 
ness  routine,  when  he  could  cast  off  his  responsibilities  for  a 
little  time  and  follow  the  lead  that  pleased  him,  it  was  not  more 
chemistry  that  he  seemed  to  want,  it  was  not  to  chemistry  that 
he  turned  for  stimulus  and  refreshment,  it  was  to  almost  any- 
thing else.  1  belonged,  with  him,  to  a  little  study  club  which 
met  once  a  week;  and  when  it  came  to  the  selection  of  a  subject 
for  reading  and  discussion.  Dr.  Palmer's  choice  never  once 
turned  to  chemistry  or  to  any  allied  subject,  but  to  philosophy, 
or  ethics,  or  economics,  or  sociology,  or  theoretical  history,  or 
biology, — to  almost  anything,  indeed,  except  chemistry,  which 
had  a  content  of  substantial  and  interesting  thought,  so  pre- 
sented as  to  stimulate  reflection  and  to  provoke  discussion.  It 
was  with  these  things  that  he  sought  to  broaden  his  thinking  and 
to  refresh  his  mind. 

The  scope  of  his  intelligence,  and  the  variety  of  his  ability, 
were  sometimes  strikingly  shown  to  us  when  it  fell  to  him  to 
abstract,  for  the  general  benefit,  some  article  or  some  chap- 
ter on  a  subject  so  far  removed  from  his  personal  studies  that 
we  would  doulit,  perhaps,  whether  he  could  do  what  was  called 
for;  whether,  indeed,  he  could  really  understand  the  subject 
himself.  But  his  presentation  of  the  matter  would  neverthe- 
less come  in  as  clear,  as  accurate,  as  complete,  as  fluent,  as  one 
of  his  lectures  in  elementary  chemistry.  This  same  ready, 
thoroughly-trained  ability  was  shown  also  by  the  finish  and 
skill  with  which  he  would  do  a  new,  difficult,  and  wholly  unfa- 
miliar thing  the  first  time  trying.  1  turn  aside  a  moment  to 
give  you  an  instance  which  came  under  my  own  observation. 
It  became  his  duty,  one  legislative  session,  to  present  to  an  im- 


17 

portaiit  committee  at  Springfield  the  reasons  for  establishing 
the  Chemical  Water  Survey  of  the  state,  which  has  now  been 
going  on  under  his  direction  for  several  years.  This  he  did  with 
his  characteristic  clearness  and  method,  consulting  no  one  be- 
forehand, asking  no  one's  advice  as  to  what  he  should  say  or 
how  he  should  say  it,  and  with  the  result  that  the  bill  was 
unanimously  approved  by  the  committee,  if  I  remember  right- 
ly, at  its  first  vote.  One  of  the  most  experienced  members  of 
the  House  expressed  his  admiration  to  me  afterwards  by  saying 
that  Dr.  Palmer  had  made  the  clearest  and  most  interesting  ar- 
gument that  had  been  presented  to  his  committee  that  winter. 
When  I  repeated  this  comment  presently  to  Dr.  Palmer  him- 
self, he  replied,  "Nonsense  !  What  does  the  man  mean?  I 
never  did  such  a  thing  before  in  my  life."  That  was  just  it. 
He  did  the  thing  the  very  first  time  just  as  well  as  it  could  be 
done.  That  was  what  it  meant  to  have  his  versatile,  well- 
trained  mind. 

His  desire,  to  which  I  have  referred,  to  avoid  or  correct  the 
effects  of  close  specialization,  showed  itself  also  in  his  adminis- 
tration of  his  department.  It  is  true  that  the  course  in  chem- 
istry, the  requirements  of  which  have  been  gradually  estab- 
lished under  his  lead  and  in  accordance  with  his  ideas,  is  one 
of  the  most  highly  specialized  in  the  University,  surpassed  in 
that  respect,  I  think,  by  only  one  other  in  our  whole  organiza- 
tion, but  this  is  not  because  of  his  deliberate  preference.  He 
thought  it  the  necessary  consequence  of  the  industrial  demand 
upon  his  department,  of  the  fact  that  his  courses  w^ere  so  largely 
taken  as  a  preparation  for  industrial  life.  He  often  talked  with 
me  about  these  matters.  There  was  a  conflict  in  his  mind  be- 
tween these  tendencies  towards  specialization,  and  his  appreci- 
ation of  liberal  study  as  a  preparation  for  a  cultivated  and  ef- 
fective life.  He  really  wished  to  turn  out  not  merely  well- 
trained  chemists,  but  broadly  educated  men.  By  that  I  do  not 
mean,  of  course,  to  imply  that  there  is  not  much  breadth  in  a 
comprehensive  chemical  education  ;  but  nevertheless,  as  an  ed- 
ucation, it  undoubtedly  needs  broadening  and  balancing  up, 
and  Dr.  Palmer  often  influenced  young  men  to  liberalize  their 


18 

elections  to  this  end.  Indeed,  one  of  his  latest  official  acts  was 
to  send  me,  from  his  sick-])ed,  a  new  catalo}?  statement  of  the 
requirements  for  graduation  in  clicmistry,  nmended  l»y  the  ad- 
dition of  two  new  liberal  courses. 

'I'lien,  as  I  came  to  know  Professor  Palmer.  I  discerned  in 
him  a  trait  which  exijlained  to  me  some  things  alxnit  him 
which  I  could  not  otherwise  have  understood,  and  that  trait 
was  his  essential  idealism.  He  was  a  strenuous,  practical  ideal- 
ist. We  usually  thought  of  him,  it  is  true,  as  one  of  the 
mosiy  practical  of  men,  so  intense  was  the  steady  energy  with 
which  he  pushed  toward  the  accomplishment  of  his  purpose*:; 
but  he  nevertheless  seemed  alwaysto  carry  with  him  a  vision  as 
clear  as  the  sight  of  his  eye,  of  things  as  they  ought  to  be,  with- 
in the  sphere  of  his  responsil)ility  and  interests,  and  he  strove 
constantly  with  all  his  might  to  l)ring  the  system  of  things  as 
they  are  into  conformity  with  his  ideals.  It  is  in  this  fact  that 
we  find  an  exi)lanation  of  a  certain  severe  intolerance  of  poor 
work,  and  even  impatience  with  the  poor  worker.  He  saw  so 
clearly  how  the  thing  should  be,  that  any  falling  short  of  his 
high  standard  and  expectation  jarred  upon  his  sensibilities  like 
a  false  note  on  the  ear  of  a  musician. 

The  world  is  not  always  an  easy  place  for  such  men  to  live 
in,  and  they  do  not  always  make  it  an  easy  place  for  those  as- 
sociated with  them,  in  whatever  capacity.  Their  highest  ideals 
are  often  criticised  as  visionary, and  their  best-matured  and  most 
carefully  considered  plans  are  likely  to  be  rejected  as  impracti- 
cable. If  Professor  Palmer  had  been  content  to  undertake  the 
merely  probable,  he  would  neve  have  accomi)lished  the  utmost 
possible;  and  that,  1  think,  we  would  all  of  us  say  he  always 
did. 

I  must  not  close  without  saying  something  of  what  1  found 
him  as  a  friend.  1  first  l)egan  really  to  know  him  personally 
about  two  years  after  his  return  from  Germany,  when  we  came 
together  one  winter  as  members  of  a  club  organized  under  the 
leadership  of  one  of  the  professors  in  the  University,  for  a  line 
of  study  undertaken  with  reference  to  the  Columl)ia  Exposi- 
tion, which  was  to  open  the  following  year.     There  it  was  that 


19 

1  first  learned  of  his  keen  wit,  of  his  contagions  gaietj%  of  his 
careful,  considerate,  neverfailing  courtesy,  of  his  fondness  for 
the  society  of  his  intimates,  of  that  inimitable,  indescribable 
quality  which  we  call  personality,  which  made  him  so  fascinat- 
ing a  companion.  Later  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  spend  some 
weeks  of  a  summer  vacation  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  in 
his  company,  and  to  my  surprise  I  found  that  this  hitherto  in- 
cessant worker  could  also  really  rest;  that  an  idle  dog  dozing  in 
the  sun  was  not  more  idle  than  he  might  be  if  he  chose.  And 
yet,  even  then,  some  hours  of  every  day  w^ere  set  aside  for  his 
departmental  correspondence,  which  he  had  forwarded  regu- 
larly to  him  from  his  laboratory;  and  if  a  contest  were  started 
as  a  pastime,  if  a  competition  of  any  kind  sprang  up,  he  dashed 
into  it  as  if  great  issues  were  at  stake,  and  no  one  ever  beat  him 
who  was  not  his  superior  at  a  game. 

I  learned,  however,  to  know  him  best  when  we  met,  with 
a  very  few"  others,  one  evening  a  week,  each  week  in  a  year,  for 
several  years  in  succession,  in  a  club  of  University  men  formed 
for  reading  and  discussion.  It  was  not  long  before  he  became, 
I  am  sure  I  may  say,  a  favorite  with  every  one  of  us.  The  eve- 
ning did  not  really  begin  until  Palmer  came,  and  those  meet- 
ings at  which  he  was  not  present  could  scarcely  be  said  to 
count  our  list;  and  so  he  slowly  wound  himself  into  all  our 
hearts.  And  now  he  has  gone.  That  little  circle  is  broken  at 
its  brightest  link.  We  shall  never  see  his  like  again.  May  his 
memoi-y  remain  green  as  long  as  there  are  good,  and  able,  and 
devoted  men  and  women  at  this  University  of  Illinois. 


Address  by  President  A.  S.  Draper. 


We  are  quite  willing  that  the  public  shall  take  the  words 
which  we  speak  today  as  our  testimonial  to  the  splendid  quali- 
ties of  one  of  our  number  gone  before  us  over  the  river  which 
parts  earth  and  heaven.  But  we  are  not  met  merely  to  give 
him  formal  public  honor.  To  him  it  matters  not  what  we  do 
or  w^hat  we  say.     And  the  throbbing  w^orld  cares  little.     But   it 


20 

matters  much  to  us.  How  we  who  are  left  feel  and  what  we 
say  when  one  is  taken  has  much  to  do  with  ourselves  now  and 
hereafter.  Realizing  that,  and  having  beliefs  about  death  and 
the  hereafter,  we  are  met  under  our  own  roof,  around  our  own 
heartstone,  to  release  our  pent  up  feelings  in  words  spoken  to 
each  other,  to  assuage  the  common  grief  through  the  pledge 
of  the  common  support  in  bearing  it,  and  to  bring  consolation 
to  our  own  souls  through  the  contemplation  of  the  qualities 
which  made  us  honor  and  regard  the  one  who  filled  the  vacant 
chair. 

My  colleagues  have  spoken  of  the  personal  qualities  and 
characteristics  of  Professor  Palmer.  I  need  not  dwell  upon 
them,  biit  I  cannot  be  satisfied  to  pass  them  by,  lest  I  repeat. 
Nor  need  I,  for  we  each  saw  him  at  a  different  angle  and  I 
stood,  not  in  a  closer,  but  in  a  different  relation  to  him 
from  all  the  rest.  In  body  and  spirit  he  had  individuality 
which  was  strong  and  so  deeply  impresssed  upon  each  of  us  as 
to  make  it  wholly  impossilile  that  we  shall  ever  forget  it. 

In  person  he  was  of  fair  complexion,  and  attractive  mould. 
His  eye  was  clear  and  his  face  winsome.  None  of  us  surpassed 
him  in  physical  and  nervous  energy  of  action.  But  his  carriage 
was  manful  and  his  every  movement  was  expressive  of  deter- 
mination and  force. 

Nor  was  there  a  keener  or  more  virile  mind  among  us.  We 
are  proud  to  say  that  he  was  a  product  of  this  University,  and  we 
may  well  add  that  it  has  not  developed  a  more  serious  or  ag- 
gressive student.  He  shrank  from  no  intellectual  undertaking 
and  he  accomplished  completely  whatever  he  undertook.  He 
was  practical  nuister  of  our  Department  of  Chemistry  when  it 
was  yet  in  its  infancy  and  he  in  his  undergraduate  work.  When 
he  came  to  see  that  this  University  could  not  satisfy  his  pur- 
purposes  in  life,  he  went  to  America's  oldest  university  and 
then  to  the  strongest  in  the  Old  World  for  his  training  and 
when  he  had  secured  it  he  turned  back  to  the  University  of 
his  fondest  hopes  and  his  deepest  love  to  develop  a  Department 
of  Chemistry  which  should  he  one  of  our  chief  glories  and  of 
which  all  the  world  should  know.     Of  chemistry  he  became  as 


21 

thoroughly  a  master  as  any  of  his  age  in  America.     He  was  not 
immodest,  but  he  had  no    occasion  to  avoid,  and  he  did  not 
avoid,  measuring  with  the  foremost.     His  love  for  chemical  ana- 
lysis wa,s  consuming;  his  capacity  for  scientific  detail  was  pro- 
digious; his  confidence   in  his  results  and  in  his   opinions  was 
absolute.     His  work  upon  the  waters  of  Illinois  was  wholly  un- 
parallelled  and  the  great  report  which  his  unyielding  purpose 
got  through  the  press  l)efore  he  could  surrender  even  to  the 
Angel  of  Death  is  likely  to  be  the  reference  book  of  investiga- 
tors for  a  generation.  As  a  teacher  he  was  exact  and  efficient.  He 
quickened  minds  and  interested  them  in  a  science,  difficult  of 
mastery  and  not  ordinarily  attractive.     His  lectures   lightened 
and  brightened  a  hard  theme;  he  was  not  only  master  of  chem- 
istry but  he  came  pretty  near  being  a  master  of  good   English 
style;  he  never  hesitated'  for  a  word  and  he  seldom  used  any 
other  than  the  one  which  could  serve  his  purpose  to  the  utmost. 
In  a  University  conference  he  was  always  ready  with  an  opin- 
ion and  if  the  matter  in  hand  deserved  it,  it  was  a  good  opinion. 
If  it  seemed  to  him  unimportant,  he  was  likely  to  toy  with  it 
for  the  relaxation  he  found  in  it,  but  if  it  was  of  moment  he  went 
closely  to  the  heart  of  it  over  very  strong  ground  and   l)y  very 
direct  roads.     When  the  time  came  for  University  action  he  was 
read  to  lead  it  or  fall  in  anywhere  else,  and  whatever  place  he 
held  he  put  all  of  his  strength  and  his  resources  into  the  move- 
ment.    With  all  this,  he  was  an  alert  and  persistent  leader  of  a 
department.     He  was  yet  more  than  an  administrator;  he  was  a 
builder.     He  was  never  content  with  what  had  been  gained.  He 
would  enlarge  his  domain  and  his  opportunities.      Men  who 
could  help  him  to  accomplish  his  purposes  might  not  see  things 
just  as  he  did,  but  they  could  not  resist  him,  they  were  obliged 
to  help  him.     If  his  report  upon  the  potable  waters  of   Illinois 
is  to  be  an  enduring  monument  to  his  scientific  genius  and  his 
capacity  for  unparalled  detail,  the  fine,  new   Chemical  Labora- 
tory over  there  will  express  his  administrative  power  and   his 
constructive  creativeness  through  the  long  life  of  this  Univer- 
sity. 

His  learning  and  his  administrative  efficiency  attracted  the 


2'J 

attention  of  others  and  opportunities  to  go  to  w  liiit  seemed  to  he' 
or  were  likely  in  time  to  prove  to  he,  more  conspicioiis  places 
were  not  wanting.  Any  university  in  the  country  would  have 
heen  glad  to  secure  him  for  the  headship  of  its  department  of 
Chemistry.  It  was  not  much  known,  l»ut  the  way  once  opened 
for  him  to  go  to  the  presidency  of  one  of  the  state  universities. 
His  attachments  to  his  own  University  led  him  to  put  these 
things  away,  and  happily  time  justified  his  determination  very 
amply.  It  was  fortunate  for  us;  1  am  glad  to  believe  it  was 
well  for  him.  This  was  his  place:  it  was  the  place  which  he 
had  largely  created;  he  fitted  it  and  filled  it;  it  was  the  place 
in  which  he  could  make  the  most  of  himself  because  it  was  the 
place  of  greatest  usefulness. 

Very  naturally  there  was  another  side  to  his  nature  which 
this  appi-eciation  of  him  does  not  necessarily  disclose,  and  to 
which  I  should  not  allude  if  it  did  not  throw  a  stronger  liglit 
upon  still  another  and  a  beautiful  phase  of  his  character  to 
which  I  shall  allude  in  a  moment.  Ue  was  intense,  so  intense 
that  it  was  often  felt  that  he  wasted  himself  unnecessarily,  that 
he  spent  himself  too  freely  for  the  science  of  his  University.  He 
often  worked  while  others  rested.  With  all  the  varied  inter- 
ests which  center  here  and  which  have  to  be  provided  for,  it 
sometimes  seemed  as  though  he  persisted  for  those  under  his 
care  till  he  carried  them  l)eyond  the  point  of  reason.  He  loved 
discussion,  for  he  had  the  qualities  of  mind  which  needed  and 
sharpened  upon  it.  He  was  so  truly  fond  of  the  exhilaration  of 
intellectual  combat  that  he  would  spring  to  his  feet  at  the  first 
appearance  of  an  opportunity  for  it.  These  things  were  liable 
to  give  a  superficial  observer  the  impression  that  he  was  given 
to  stul)bornness  and  to  idle  controversy.  But  the  real  truth  was 
that  he  loved  discussion,  even  idle  controversy,  when  it  was 
harmless  ;  he  disliked  it  when  it  was  hurtful.  No  man  liked 
to  agree  with  others  upon  matters  of  sul)stance  more  than  he. 
It  is  quite  possible  that  at  times  his  strength  overshadowed 
his  urbanity,  and  that  his  native  force  stood  in  the  way  of  a 
difference  of  opinion  affrighting  him  as  quickly  as  it  did  weaker 
men.      Yet  no  one  could  say  that  he  was  wanting  in  the  refine 


23 

meots  of  feeling-,  or  that  he  persisted  in  serious  combat  for  any 
end  which  did  not  appeal  to  his  sense  of  right. 

Quite  the  contrar}'  was  true.  His  nature  was  sympathetic. 
He  was  exceedingly  kindly.  This  goes  to  the  matter  of  char- 
acter ;  even  more  than  mentality  or  nervous  activity  it  must 
challenge  our  esteem  in  such  an  hour  as  this.  But  if  all  are 
centered  in  the  same  being  it  is  better  still.  It  is  easy  for  men 
to  be  kindly  if  they  are  weak  and  must  depend  upon  kindness 
from  others,  or  if  they  lack  that  nervous  restlessness  and  physi- 
cal force  which  may  blind  them  to  the  need  of  kindness  or  stand 
in  the  way  of  growth  in  forbearance  and  graciousness.  Pro- 
fessor Palmer  had  a  fuller  measure  of  physical  energy,  or  ner- 
vous aggressiveness,  than  we  often  see  in  one  man  ;  but  still  he 
was  kindly.  He  stood  in  a  marriage  relation  which  claimed 
the  utmost  of  sympathetic  love  and  gentleness,  and  received 
them  to  the  full.  He  w^as  a  proud  and  tender  father.  Some  of 
us  know  what  a  true  and  helpful  brother  he  was.  Some  may 
suppose  that  he  was  a  hard  disciplinarian  in  his  department. 
He  never  spared  himself,  and  he  expected  healthy  men  to  work 
to  their  limit;  but  who  among  us  has  sacrificed  himself  more 
to  develop  his  subordinates  or  to  save  a  place  for  one  who  was 
sick,  but  true?  He  was  never  insipid  anywhere.  He  knew, 
better  than  some  of  us  realize,  that  exactness  is  the  truest  kind- 
ness to  students.  But  who  among  us  would  be  more  consider- 
ate of  any  student  in  whose  good  purposes  he  could  believe? 
Where  is  there  another  busy,  forceful  man  in  our  number  who 
is  bent  upon  such  high  professional  accomplishments,  who 
could  enter  with  such  enthusiasm  into  student  movements  as 
he  was  wont  to  do?  K  one  of  his  colleagues  was  ill  or  unfortu- 
nate his  sympathy  was  as  active  as  his  anxiety  over  a  chemical 
determination,  or  his  solicitude  for  a  University  triumph.  Hi 
all  the  relations  of  life,  in  all  that  went  to  the  matter  of  char- 
acter, he  was  sympathetic,  kindly  and  true.  We  would  rather 
say  this  with  entire  truth,  than  anything  else  we  may  say  of 
him  today ;  and  when  it  may  be  added  that  his  kindness  was 
sharpened  and  given  a  finer  edge  by  reason  of  those  physical 


24 

and  intellectual  forces  which  were  more  apparent  to  the  casual 
observer,  we  say  all  that  need  be  said  of  any  one. 

We  will  try  to  learn  the  olnious  lesson.  All  of  us,  officers, 
teachers,  students,  graduates,  friends,  who  go  to  make  up 
the  University  body,  have  part  in  it.  We  will  share  each  oth- 
er's sorrow  and  support  each  other's  grief.  W^e  ^\  ill  send  our 
sympathy  to  all  relatives  and  friends,  particularly  to  a  stricken 
wife  whom  we  all  cherish,  and  a  fatherless  boy  who  cannot 
know  the  measure  of  his  loss,  and  to  all  the  members  of  that 
prominent  family  among  us  with  which  he  was  so  closely  asso- 
ciated. But  we  will  go  further  and  apply  to  ourselves  the  les- 
son of  the  life  that  is  gone.  We  will  strive  to  be  exact,  force- 
ful, and  in  earnest;  we  will  try  to  gain  results  and  lift  human 
knowledge  to  a  higher  plane  ;  we  will  not  forget  to  be  more 
generous,  kindly  and  true  :  and  we  will  strive  to  be  ready  for 
the  going  in  (lod's  own  time. 

Resolutions  Adopted  by  the  Board  of  Trustees. 

Whereas,  Tlie  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  University  of  Illinois  has 
learned  with  deepest  reiiret  and  sincerest  sorrow  of  the  death  of  Pro- 
fessor Arthur  William  Palmer,  Head  of  the  Department  of  C-hemis- 
try  of  the  University.     Therefore, 

/iVso/iw/,  That  it  is  with  the  largest  deji;ree  of  gratitude  that  we 
place  on  record  our  i)roroiiud  appreciation  of  his  intense  and  scholarly 
devoti«)n  to  liis  chosen  profession;  of  liis  deep  scientific  knowledge, 
as  denion*stratedin  his  invaluable  services  to  the  University  as  direc- 
tor and  teacher,  and  of  his  extended  investigation  and  exhaustive 
reports  on  the  potable  waters  of  Illinois,  and  on  nuuiy  other  mat- 
ters correlated  with  his  dei)artment. 

licmlved.  That,  cut  oil  in  his  prime,  full  of  ambition  and  hope, 
loyal  to  tiie  University,  zealous  in  his  calling,  constant  in  his  labor 
of  research,  faitiiful  in  his  daily  instruction,  he  has  left  a  monument 
of  most  intelligent  and  masterful  imlustry,  and  his  loss  to  the  Uni- 
versity and  to  the  progress  of  chemical  science  seems  quite  irrepar- 
able. 

Besolved,  That  this  minute  be  spread  on  the  records  and  a  copy 
be  presented  to  his  family,  to  whom  the  Board  of  Trustees  extends 
its  most  cordial  sympathy  in  this  hour  of  its  deep  bereavement. 


25 

Resolution  Adopted  by  the  University  Senate. 
By  tlie  death  of  Professor  Arthur  W,  Palmer  in  the  early  prime 
of  his  life  and  in  the  midst  of  his  career,  the  University  of  Illinois 
has  lost  one  of  its  most  distinguished  sons,  one  of  its  most  useful  and 
devoted  servants.  Peceiving  his  formal  education  first  with  us  and 
afterwards  in  other  universities  of  this  country  and  of  the  old  world, 
he  spent  the  whole  of  his  j)roductive  life  in  the  development  and 
maintenance  of  the  work  of  his  department.  An  expert  and  learned 
scholar,  a  skilled  investigator,  a  brilliant  lecturer,  a  conscientious 
and  stimulating  instructor,  an  able  executive,  and  an  insi:)iring 
leader,  he  contributed  to  the  progress  of  the  University  as  but  few 
of  longer  life  have  been  able  to  do.  We  shall  miss  him  greatly  in  our 
work  and  in  our  council ;  and  we  commend  his  memory  to  future 
generations  of  students  and  instructors  here  as  that  of  one  who  aid- 
ed much  to  establish  and  to  maintain  at  this  University  high  stand- 
ards of  scholarship  and  high  ideals  of  manly  character,  and  who  gave 
exceptional  talents  and  his  utmost  energies  to  science,  to  education, 
and  to  the  public  welfare. 

Action  of  the  Faculty  of  the  College  of  Science. 

February  5,  1904. 
The  Faculty  of  the  College  of  Science  direct  us  as  a  Committee  to 
give  on  their  behalf  some  public  expression  of  the  deep  sorrow  felt 
by  all  connected  with  the  College  and  the  University  because  of  the 
unexpected  and  lamented  death  of  our  colleague  Professor  Arthur 
W.  Palmer.  This  sad  loss  has  cast  the  deepest  gloom  upon  the  Uni- 
versity as  a  whole,  but  especially  upon  the  College  of  Science  in 
the  development  and  management  of  which  his  long  and  efficient  ser- 
vice made  him  such  an  important  factor.  We  but  feebly  express  tiie 
feelings  shared  in  common  when  we  say  that  all  of  us  who  have  been 
thus  intimately  associated  with  him  in  our  daily  lal)ors  are  profound- 
ly affected  by  the  death  of  one  whom  we  have  always  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  for  the  wealth  and  the  worth  of  his  personal  charac- 
ter and  for  his  conspicuous  and  widely  recognized  attainments  in  his 
chosen  field  of  science. 

T.  J.  BURRILL, 

H.  S.  Grindley, 

E.  J.  TOWNSEND, 

Committee. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

C  IL6UFP  C002 

PROFESSOR  ARTHUR  W   PALMER.  MEMORIAL  CON 


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